Pokemon: The Journey

Hearing Roshi's words, Ash was concerned.

Did I do something bad?

Is he angry?

'No. I am not angry. I can hear your thoughts, remember? It's about your preparation for your Pokémon journey.'

Hearing that they were about to discuss his journey, he quickly finished his breakfast and went outside.

'Okay. So, what do you want to talk about?'

'Ash, how many days are left for you to start your journey?'

Startled by the seriousness in his tone, he asked, "Two weeks, why?"

'Okay. Answer me this truthfully, Ash, do you know how to cook?'

Embarrassed, he thought, 'No, but you said you can cook, right?'

'Yeah, I can, but there was a huge oversight on my part. I come from a place that did not have Pokémon, but we knew more about them than any trainer.'

'N-no Pokémon. How did you guys live?!!!'

'We adapted. All living beings, be they in any form, will always adapt to their place of living, also called the environment. Otherwise, we all would die. Everybody struggles to adapt, but with time and effort, they do. We could live without Pokémon, but it led to some different scenarios in our case. What do you think they are?'

'I do not know. What does this have to do with cooking?'

'You already have the clue and the answer. Do not just always think straightforwardly. Observe. Think. Do not rush into a decision. Sometimes the most obvious answers lie in front of us, but we never take the time to think about them. Always try to maintain a cool head. Recall everything properly again as many times as you want. Go through the details again and again until you find something you did not observe previously. Use the knowledge you have acquired. Look at it from another perspective. There will always be situations where we cannot predict the outcome. We can only try to believe in ourselves, hope, and try our best. Start with asking yourself simple questions about something, no matter how small or insignificant, as the greatest of opportunities for exploitation of a situation come the fastest in calm retrospection.'

'Okay. Cooking...cooking...cooking...uh, it requires ingredients, I guess?'

'Yep. Go on.'

'Ingredients will require meat and vegetables, right?'

'Uh-huh'

'Meat...meat...We use Pokémon for that in our cooking. Where are we going with this?'

'Remember my words?'

'Your words? Oh! You mean when you said you came from a place that did not have Pokémon?'

'Yes.'

'What does that have to...? You do not know how to cook Pokémon for food, right?'

'Yup.'

'You can cook using vegetables then.'

'Think again.'

'Why?'

'Just do it. Continue from your conclusion, you will find out why.'

'What has anything got to do with vegetables?'

'Remember what I said about my place except for not having Pokémon?'

'What you said...? You did say you adapted to not having Pokémon. What does adapt mean?'

'It means to adjust to a situation. Now use it to think about what I am saying.'

'Adapt...adjust...vegetables...The Pokémon eat vegetables too, but your place did not have Pokémon, right? I still cannot see what you want me to see.'

'Apply my advice. You will see.'

'Your advice? Hmmm... You did say to ask small, insignificant questions sometimes. So... What are vegetables used for? They give us energy to do stuff. Pokémon use that energy to fight, so the amount required by them will be more, right?'

'Yes. Go on. Also, note that the energy comes from nutrients present in the food, like vegetables, which also affects the taste as they are good chemicals for the body, which together form a taste for a specific ingredient.'

'Nutrients? You also said that everybody adjusts to their environment. You did not have Pokémon, so you...did not require as many of these nutrients as the Pokémon. The amount of nutrients also changes the taste. Then, the taste and nutrition of the food will also be different if the same stuff is used!'

'The recipes that I know of will produce a different taste and might not have enough nutrition for your Pokémon and you. It will at least provide a base for things you can cook. It's all about experimentation. We do need to know at least how to cook. There is also one more big issue. Ash, what do you know about Pokémon and human first-aid?'

'Not much.'

'I could have helped you, but I am hoping that the human physique is not that much different. I do not even know if the medicine composition is the same, which could lead to a possibly fatal mistake. Even if I was able to help you with that, you do not know much about how to take care of your Pokémon. What will happen if your Pokémon are injured or sick and there are no Pokémon Centers nearby?'

Ash felt like crying. Here, he was excited to go on his journey, but these questions just proved how poorly he was prepared for it. Maybe he was not cut out for it.

Gary was right. I am a loser. I would have ended up killing my Pokémon. Maybe, I should just...

We will never know where that thought went as it was interrupted by Roshi.

'You are giving up too quickly, my boy. I am here to help you, remember. I might not be able to help you directly now, but some people definitely can.'

With hope, Ash thought, 'Who?'

Roshi smirked and said, 'Well...'